Car-seal



' (Model.)

WJOBEGKWITH.

OAR SEAL.

Patented Jan.- 14,1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT (OFFICE.

WALTER C. BEOKWITH, OF FOSTORIA, OHIO.

CA-R-SEAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 419,491, dated January 14, 1890.

Application filed April 2, 1889. Serial No. 305,686. (Model I To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER O. BEOKWITH, of Fostoria, in the county of Seneca and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car -Seals;- and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in car-seals; and it consists in the combination of a strip of sheet metal havingahole through one end with the piece of lead which is secured to the strip, and which is flattened out by the sealer after the strip has been fastened to the car-door or other object, and the piece of lead passed partially through the perforated end of the strip, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The object of my invention is to producea simple and cheap car-seal, which can be readily and easily applied, and which cannot be tampered with in any way without entirely or partially destroying the lead.

Figures 1 and 2 show edge views, partly in section, of seals embodying my invention, and which differ slightly in the mannerof attaching the strip to the lead. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a sea], showing the lead flattened.

A represents a strip of any suitable sheet metal, and which will be of any length and width desired. To one end of this strip is secured the piece of lead B, which is of sufficient length and thickness to allow any desired word or words, letters, or other symbols to be stamped thereon. The manner of attaching the lead and strip together may be varied at will. Either a wire 0 maybe passed through one end of the strip and then the two ends of the wire secured in the lead by casting the lead around them, or the end of the strip may be made narrow and tapering and have the lead cast directly upon it. The opposite end of the strip from the one to which the lead is attached has a hole D made through it sufficiently large to allow the outer end of the lead to pass freely through. After the seal has been applied to the car-door or other object the lead is passed through this opening D, as shown, and then the lead is flattened and stamped at the same timeby the sealer, a tool specially constructed for this purpose. In flattening the lead it is made too wide to be drawn through the opening D in the end of the strip without cutting away one or both of the edges of the lead, and thus showing at a glance that the seal has been tampered with.

It will be seen that by providing one end of the strip with a longitudinal bar, in contradistinction to a bar which passes at right angles through the end of the strip, as has been the case heretofore, a long printing-surface is produced, and the passing of the longitudinal bar through the perforation is easier effected,"

since it is in a line with the curve of the metal.

In the constructions heretofore used and above referred to the printing-surface islimited substantially to the size of the perforation in the end of the strip, through which the lead passes at right angles thereto, and which is more difficult to pass through the perforation for this reason.

The great merits of my invention consist in its cheapness, ease of application, and impossibility of being tampered with without showing it.

Having thus described my invention, I claim A car-seal consisting of a strip of metal provided with a perforation at one end and a longitudinal. soft-metal bar at its opposite end, which passes directly through the perforation in a line with the curve of the strip and extending beyond it, whereby a large printingsurface is provided and a lock eifected by flattening the extending end, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' WALTER C. BECKWITI-I.

Witnesses:

JOHN A. BRADNER, A. P. COUCH. 

